Home security

These home invasions have me thinking there is probably a business opportunity for an aggressive individual(s) or firm to 'bullet proof' homes. A service like this may exist and if so I'd like to see them:

Inspect my home and property and offer solutions and price to beef up any soft spots.

Have the ability to electrify the %#it out of the perimeter with price quote.

Know video surveillance and recording systems and how to install with price quote.

Advise and help to procure a pistola, not that I would want one now but ya never know.

Other tricks of the trade (just guessing here): alarmed non-lethal booby traps, loud ass siren mounted on roof, auxiliary power - maybe from an extension cord to a trusted neighbors home, strategic placement of antipersonnel chemical dispensers etc..

Any thoughts, ideas or resources would be appreciated, thanks.

Well here is my story. Was in Mirisol one day and a friend had locked
herself out of her house. Big tall smooth wall with four strands of
electric wire and some barbed wire to add to the mess. Very impressive
looking kinda like having your house decorated in state prison nouveau.

Well one mexican put up a ladder took off a leather coat threw it over
the electric and barbed wire and jumped down and opened the door.

So the moral of the story is what you see isn't always what you think
you are getting security wise.

Z

Great Plan! And while all of the work is being done on your house, you can take the time to get some hands on experience by taking a cruise:
The Point Cruise Line is excited to offer the ultimate adventure cruise, Along the pirate-infested coast of Somalia:
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We board our luxury cruise ships in Djibouti on the Gulf of Aden near the entrance to the Red Sea ,
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Reservations start at only $5,200 per-person (double occupancy, inside room)
And $6,900 (verandah complete with bench rest).
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You'll relax like never before!
That's because you are welcome to bring
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If you don't have your own weapons, you can rent them from our onboard Master Gunsmith.
Enjoy reloading parties every afternoon,
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But the best fun of all, of course, is...
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The object of our cruise is to sail up and down the Somali Coast waiting to get hijacked by pirates!
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I'd say move next door to the police department oughtta do it! Personal protection dog would't hurt if you like to get out of your fortress & walk. Wolfs! Also, stay outta trouble.

We had 32 people at our house last weekend, didn't advertise and probably most guests thought our dogs were plain handsome, friendly & had know idea he'd bite them good if they misbehaved. :)

oncesubtle wrote:These home invasions have me thinking there is probably a business opportunity for an aggressive individual(s) or firm to 'bullet proof' homes. A service like this may exist and if so I'd like to see them:

Inspect my home and property and offer solutions and price to beef up any soft spots.

Have the ability to electrify the %#it out of the perimeter with price quote.

Know video surveillance and recording systems and how to install with price quote.

Advise and help to procure a pistola, not that I would want one now but ya never know.

Other tricks of the trade (just guessing here): alarmed non-lethal booby traps, loud ass siren mounted on roof, auxiliary power - maybe from an extension cord to a trusted neighbors home, strategic placement of antipersonnel chemical dispensers etc..

Any thoughts, ideas or resources would be appreciated, thanks.

The guy who was shot at last week in the Raquet is doing exactly that. He just had a 30,000 volt fence installed, is getting two registered weapons, has security cameras and a friend who can do professional DVDs, there's more, however the same guy is coming to out place for a few additional beef ups. So will give you the scoop later.

Stay tuned.

IMO, It would be easier to move to a different place if you feel you require that level of protection. I hear they have cheap places in Afghanistan........

IMO it would be easier to have our property evaluated and consider the recommendations vs. moving anywhere because moving we ain't. And thanks Raq, I'll stay tuned.

CanuckBob wrote:IMO, It would be easier to move to a different place if you feel you require that level of protection. I hear they have cheap places in Afghanistan........

Yeah well let's hear you sing a different tune when the perps are armed and in your house, either shooting at you or about to stab you! I've been here 13 years and never had a problem before this year. Things have changed, and maybe a lot do want to get out now, but can't afford to. As for us, until we leave here our house in going to be fortified to the maximum level possible.

If that happens we would likely consider moving elsewhere versus securing and arming ourselves as described above. It's a big country and a big planet...........jaja. Sell at cost if necessary I suppose.

CanuckBob wrote:IMO, It would be easier to move to a different place if you feel you require that level of protection. I hear they have cheap places in Afghanistan........

cheap home security too!!! It appears to be a high tech security camera that'll aim & fire for you. Now why haven't we thunk of that?

CG I choked on my cheap wine when I saw your Somalia cruise spoof. That is REALLY funny. Loved the pictures of geezers with heavy arms!

LOLOLOLOL!

raqueteer wrote:

CanuckBob wrote:IMO, It would be easier to move to a different place if you feel you require that level of protection. I hear they have cheap places in Afghanistan........

Yeah well let's hear you sing a different tune when the perps are armed and in your house, either shooting at you or about to stab you! I've been here 13 years and never had a problem before this year. Things have changed, and maybe a lot do want to get out now, but can't afford to. As for us, until we leave here our house in going to be fortified to the maximum level possible.

These things tend to come in spurts so don't get too discouraged. Racquet Club is pretty close to a somewhat rough town so y'all might want to get together and look at how you can beef up community security.

Folks all you need to disable a 30,000 volt fence is a thick leather coat or
even easier pull his meter and kill the power. Isn't the meter on the front
of the wall OUTSIDE so it can be read easily. Before you folks spend big
money being paranoid (and maybe rightly so) you should pick solutions
that work.

Z

How about remotetly operated pepper spray cannisters throughout the house which can be activated from within the bedroom. Ensure your bedroom door is secure and sealed. Hear some noises and hit the button. Guaranteed to clear them out fast. Of course you want some video cameras to catch the action. Would make some great YouTube uploads.

I'm interested Zed, which are the solutions that work and cannot be compromised?

You can get a UPS for your electric fence. Will power the fence if disconnected from the main.

Yup and in my OP I mentioned running an auxiliary electric line from a neighbors house. In our case we already share a satellite dish and one more line, no problemo.

People living in nearly 100% gringo communities are more likely to experience vandalism/theft....we have lived in
chapala Haciendas for nearly 7 years....not a single incident. However we have care taker when absent, and our home is walled with no visual access. Many of our friends have been here......our home is completely open for theft..pool/fiesta room.......We don't have wired theft deterrent, spikes on walls etc. Some of our neighbors have had issues though.......Bad guys chase the perceived rich

Jim W wrote:People living in nearly 100% gringo communities are more likely to experience vandalism/theft....we have lived in
chapala Haciendas for nearly 7 years....not a single incident. However we have care taker when absent, and our home is walled with no visual access. Many of our friends have been here......our home is completely open for theft..pool/fiesta room.......We don't have wired theft deterrent, spikes on walls etc. Some of our neighbors have had issues though.......Bad guys chase the perceived rich

yeah ... I've seen yer joint... U live low brow.... U have the average guys monthly wage in yer beer fridge fer christs sakes

OC I don't know anyone here who does it all. I know a lot of people like ADT from Guadalajara for door and motion detectors with a siren and they do electric fences. Very professional operation and they may have someone who does what you want - a complete evaluation. A local guy did my security alarm and walked around my house and in every room checking for bars on windows and locks - so that level of scrutiny goes with the alarm business. I can't recommend him now and would go with ADT if I didn't already have a system. And they have the signs to put on your wall outside in Spanish that says the house is protected by ADT (of course you could print up a few yourself.) Throwing a coat over an electric fence should set off the alarm if nothing else.

In my working life I worked closely with the Security Dept. and they recommended the more protection you have the more likely the bad guys will go somewhere else where there is not so much protection.

Now I did discuss the pepper spray idea as a way of keeping the town drunks from sleeping against my carport door with a friend - touch the door and pepper spray goes off through a little hole. But what if it's a child - or in the house, your dog, or your brother in law (well maybe that would deter a next visit).

And I think the ADT people also set up security cameras and can set them up to record - to your computer or to a DVD - lots of options there, wireless systems - which is what I have for my alarm, and a hard wire system just to a monitor for my two security cameras. Hard wire produces a better picture.

As to the pistola, I understand from friends who live in the Jocotopec area they asked their local police man and he helped them get a gun. But I prefer my long distance pepper spray to a gun. It's one that police use in the US and was brought down by a friend. It's a gel that goes a long distance so if you can hit their face they can't do much to you and before they get too close.

I know the people in the Raquet Club who were shot at and they they had security cameras and a recording system and will provide a DVD of the perps from the security cams to the police and Ministerio Publico as soon as they can get a copy made.

And have a good locksmith check your locks - there are good ones and bad ones - locks. I use Arragon in Chapala. A friend of mine bought a house near mine and after he found his house and cupboards wide open one day I asked if he had changed the locks since he moved in - no he had not. So he unscrewed the locks, took them to a locksmith and had them re-keyed. The fact that he could unscrew them is bad, so can a thief. Arragon will rivet them into the door. They can still be knocked out but he will tell you what is the best kind. And here is a security article from Lakesidecrime.com on home security - http://lakesidecrime.com/james/March_2010.php

You can have several friends walk around your house, inside and out and see if they spot any weaknesses.

I forgot to mention that you can get a cage made for your electric meter so CFE can read it but it's bolted into the wall. And I have my breakers in a metal - heavy steel box with a padlock on it. They can still cut the wire but I had a friend who had a burglar in the middle of the night switch off her electricity (her dogs chased him off) and she got a padlocked box for the breaker boxes and the meter outside.

Thanks for all the helpful information simpsca, it is appreciated and I will follow up.

hockables wrote:

Jim W wrote:People living in nearly 100% gringo communities are more likely to experience vandalism/theft....we have lived in
chapala Haciendas for nearly 7 years....not a single incident. However we have care taker when absent, and our home is walled with no visual access. Many of our friends have been here......our home is completely open for theft..pool/fiesta room.......We don't have wired theft deterrent, spikes on walls etc. Some of our neighbors have had issues though.......Bad guys chase the perceived rich

yeah ... I've seen yer joint... U live low brow.... U have the average guys monthly wage in yer beer fridge fer christs sakes

Let's see - home open for theft, fridge full of beer. Hummm......

Sounds like the perfect place for the next board get together!

One bit of info I forgot to add is that you can legally buy a BB gun at a hardware store (I have no idea what damage a BB gun does). When I lived in Jocotopec, a neighbor was walking his poodle and they were both mauled by a pit bull. His poodle just barely made it and police eventually got the offending pit bull put to rest. In the mean time my friend bought an electric cattle prod and a BB gun at the advice of friends who told him which hardware store carries them in Jocotopec.

But I would still work on the long distance pepper spray. I think you cannot bring them down in your luggage but you can bring them in your car across the border which is how I got mine.